Artemis Fowl: The Truth of Oneself
by Funny Bunny
Summary: Artemis Fowl doesn't realize it but, as he turns sixteen, his body will start to oddly change. For he never truely belonged to the Fowl family. But, is in truth, a demon. He'll face new enemies, but will the Fowls still care for him? I Do Not Own AF at
1. Chapter 1

The wind blew a gentle breeze through long, dark strands of hair, his tail was wrapped firmly around the cross that sat on the church's tower as black eyes scanned the ground below carefully. A deep breath in brought the smells of the land flooding into his senses clawed hands gripped the edge of the roof firmly while he could just hear the beginning songs of morning birds waking. Calculating the distance, wings ruffled slightly with anticipation, before he dove like a stone for the ground, then, wings snapped open and pumped downward as he started to rise slowly from about the middle of the church heading in the direction of Fowl Manor…

And Artemis's eyes snapped open suddenly, as he sat bolt upright in bed. The dream had felt… Real, like he was really there, like he was really the one doing that. Lately things had been getting a bit…. Odd for the boy, his body didn't feel…. Like his own anymore, but then again what teenager's didn't these days? Save for the fact that he'd started having odd dreams like this one. And it seemed the closure to today that they got, today being his sixteenth birthday, the more frequent and realistic the dreams were becoming. He heaved a big sigh as he began to dress for the day. His body had bulked up over the last couple months, though still wiry looking, Artemis could actually fend off Butler even if it were needed. This mysterious occurrence, Artemis rendered completely normal for one who'd started to well, work out given the last encounter with the People, as they were referred to. He blinked at the clock, realizing that Butler and his parents had let him sleep in. He normally was up at eight and it was ten thirty almost now. He studied himself in the mirror, marveling at how different he'd begun to look. 'I really need to quit being so superficial.' The other thought to himself before quickly dressing and heading down the stairs to see what was going on. "Good morning, Arty." His mother commented, cheerily, the smell of a birthday cake was floating through the room.

"Morning, Mother." Artemis greeted happily, before taking a seat at the ceramic top breakfast table.

And then, here came his father, a little limp on his one leg that had been amputated, as he smirked, for he never really smiled so much as smirked, at Artemis happily, his eyes dancing beautifully under the same colored hair as his son's. "Well, today's a big day for you, isn't it, Arty?" He questioned. "You get to turn sixteen today."

Artemis smiled up at his father carefully. Before he stood up and stretched. "I think you and I should talk about what changes might come for you my son." Artemis Fowl Sr. commented, winking slightly the wink that said I have a secret but I can't tell you just yet wink.

Artemis got up, ignoring his Father. "Yes, we'll talk sometime but for today at least, let me relax a bit, I've had a rough week at school and such." Artemis commented, truthfully.

Digging through the fridge for something to eat for breakfast, eventually pulling out a fruit tray that was left from one of his Mother's events last week. He decided that the fruit was still good and thus, he took it out and nibbled a bit on a piece of cantaloupe, before sitting back down where he had been to eat his breakfast in silent peace. His Father sighed, having come close to getting to know is son a little better, yet having lost it when he was just a breath away from it, and from telling his son the truth. "He'll want to know in due time, honey." Mrs. Fowl whispered in his ear before pecking him on the cheek lovingly.

Artemis went blissfully unaware of what was going on behind his back.

… It was a couple months after their wedding night, when fate struck Fowl Manor. Hard. She was weeping openly within their bedroom. "Never able to conceive? Are you sure? Positive one hundred percent? Good God, man, this'll tear her apart." Artemis Fowl the First commented, over the phone. "Never… To have kids."

He hung up the phone helplessly, handing it to Butler, his Butler of course, not his future to be son's. He ran a shaky hand through a ragged mop of hair before he turned a weary gaze onto his man servant. "I need some air, care to go for a short walk with me in the woods?" He questioned.

"Absolutely, Sir. You could really use it right now." He commented in the man's ear knowingly. "Let my Aunt handle this, she maybe close to death, but she is wise and she'll calm the Misses down a good deal."

"You're right, old friend, so right." Artemis Fowl commented, wearily.

Butler followed the poor man outside to the estates private woods, where he seated himself among the quiet trunks of tall trees on a stump left here years ago. His friend stood beside him, ever the silent sentinel as the other man started to cry, though quietly, as all men must to keep their dignity about them. It was then that something came hurtling towards them out of the woods. A creature of some sort sped out of the brush, collapsing in a heap before the two, it was clad in leather skins and had a plain animal like tail and was covered in a tan fur. Two shredded remains of bat like wings could be seen behind the creature's back and slit yellow eyes looked up at them carefully, while a similarly slit nostrils huffed a sigh of hot breath out. Clawed hands and cat like feet moved instantly to stand up. Butler moved in front of his charge, prepared for anything, he had his guns drawn. There was silence as the creature knelt before the two, holding out a bundle, before it started to speak. "I wish to receive sanctuary for my son, please. He will blend in with your kind until he around sixteen of your human years." He explained. "Then, he will come into my kinds inheritance. Please, I beg of you to watch after him and keep him safe!"

Artemis Sr. looked towards Butler, not sure what to do or say, he'd have a son to raise, of course and this was an odd way for God to answer a thief's prayers, of course, the child wouldn't truly be of his blood, but he could raise the boy to carry on the Artemis name. And his wife would be pleased to have a babe to raise where the first had been lost. "I will." He commented.

He watched, as the sleeping child was placed in his hands and smiled warmly at the other. "You must go, they come! Good- bye dear humans, you have resurrected my hopes in someday saving your species from extinction." The other replied, before he disappeared.

It was then that they showed, beautiful creatures simply glowing with pure light, however, the two human men were not to be fooled, if the dark looking one had been kind, then the pure were truly rotten within. Luckily they passed, following the path the stranger had taken. Thus, the man carried the boy back up to the manor carefully, he only started to cry once safely behind closed doors. … Artemis Senor looked out across that vast area that had once been wooded, now a vineyard, though the stump that he'd sat on was still there with some other crops around it. He sighed as he thought over what he had to tell his son. Hopefully the changes wouldn't start until he'd explained all that he'd gathered from several experts in the field of study, however odd it was.

Meanwhile, Artemis Fowl was feeling, odder than usual. Like he didn't fit into his own body. It was getting late and yet, he felt more energized than he had been before, possibly because of the fact that he'd been feeling exhausted all day for some odd reason. So, Artemis's birthday ended, without so much as a whisper of the odd events about to occur within the Fowl residence. One can be assured that yes, there was some magic at work in this, but not that of The People, but of Artemis's own.  
End Chapter 


	2. Chapter 2

When Artemis woke the next morning, his still fog filled mind barely registered anything different. It was a Sunday, the Sunday after his sixteenth birthday to be precise, it was only after he'd gotten dressed and went to brush his hair and teeth and wash his face that he noticed the differences. Small ones nothing too big. But noticeable enough for Artemis to let out a startled yelp. Slightly clawed fingers reached up to push back slightly pointed ears, with a little bit of fuzz growing on the back of them. The beginnings of fur, the young Fowl noted. His feet felt funny, but looked normal enough to him when he inspected them, his back ached, but he blamed it on the bed, the ones he could see though bothered him enough. So he'd yelped and you can bet that not even a minute had passed and Butler barged in. Artemis blinked at the other as the burly guard took in the same pretty noticeable but not huge differences. He was a very observant man- servant. "What happened?" Butler questioned.

"I- I don't know, I think I…. Woke up like this." Artemis commented, still in a slight shock at the moment.

Thus he started to pace, having built up enough nervousness over the matter to power all of London if it could be converted into usable energy of course. However, nervousness doesn't go in the favor of teens, especially not demonic teens who are slipping out of their more human- likeness and into a proper demon one. And just like acne, the changes were sped up by his nervousness. Artemis was pacing when the tearing of cloth could be heard, before a tail fell with a thunk onto the floor behind the young adult. "Artemis…." Butler commented, before pointing out the other's new limb. 

"Huh?" He questioned, turning around and glancing at the black furry tail before eyes widened slightly. His hidden nerves started to work into overdrive now. And more cloth started to tear steadily, fur was starting to take over his body, his hands were now fully clawed and his ears could now move with his mood, currently the long slender, freshly furred things were folded back in annoyance. Wings started to emerge from the freshly torn shirt, as feet began to turn catlike and clawed, thus causing his socks to be the next victims to the changes that were occurring. Finally, his senses became suddenly much much sharper and sensitive. Artemis hissed as he was assaulted with too much at once. He did something he hadn't done in a long time, he sat down on the floor and started to cry, though he tried to hide it. 

Meanwhile, his father had seen Butler disappear and noted Artemis was taking longer than usual to come downstairs, hence he started up the stairs towards the bathroom closest to Artemis's. Slowly, he opened the door and crept into the room, unnoticed. And there on the floor was his demonized, adoptive son. "Hey…." He commented.

Artemis froze at his father's word. "Oh…. Shit." He groaned, going back to hiding his face from view. 

"No no, now, Arty, look at me," Artemis Fowl coaxed. "Chin up, come on, this is what I wanted to talk about yesterday."

"Yes- yesterday?" Artemis questioned.  
"Yes, yesterday, you see you really aren't blood related to the Fowl name at all, really." He commented, simply.

Artemis blinked, before he looked directly at his father as what would seem to be a new bad habit of cussing was revisited, "You're shitting me." He stated.

"Look at yourself right now and tell me that again." His father calmly pointed out. "That's almost what your real father looked like when he gave you to me."

"You knew! My whole fucking life and you knew this was going to happen!" Artemis was feeling a fury right now that he'd thought he'd never feel towards his own family, scratch that, his adoptive family well up inside of him. "You never told me a damn thing about this!"

"Think about my situation, I wanted a son to raise, Artemis and despite everything me being a thieving man, I wanted a boy to raise. To hold, to be proud of! The night I saw that chance slip away into forever, I was torn, I wasn't there, Arty! I wasn't anything, I was empty. And whatever God there may be, whatever entity may rule over our fates, caused yours to be clashed with mine for a reason! I was given another chance to have a son and I'd be damned if I didn't take it," The older Fowl argued. "I still raised you as a Fowl. You are what I raised you to be. That much I know. So what if you've changed in appearance? Make the best of it! At least you aren't missing a leg, and I've even made the best of that that I could. Hell, I can even still go out thieving if I chose to."

"What are you talking about, you've not done any thieving that I've noticed." Artemis reminded.

"Ha! That's where you're wrong, I thieved from you to prove to myself that I could because believe it or not, Artemis, there are points where I feel less of a man and that's when I need to thieve beyond a doubt. I stole that diamond necklace I gave your Mother for last Christmas. And as every Fowl should know, I know how to cover my tracks," He continued. "So, you're a little different, so what? And it's not like I wasn't planning on telling you , I was, I wanted to tell you when I returned but, your Mother talked me out of it."

Artemis was silent as last whispers of changes took hold on his physical form. Butler was weighing the verbal war between the two from the beginning, wondering who'd won this one. Until Mr. Fowl had made it obvious as to who had conquered beyond a doubt. And it was the older man. "So, Artemis, you want to learn more about your kind that I've hunted down?" He questioned.

"I guess… There's not really much I can do about this now, is there?" He wanted to know.

"Well, as stated before, your kind hold onto a human guise until you hit puberty or shortly after, then you develop into a more adult like form as you have already gone through. And there were earlier signs pointing this out to me along the way, you slept later, you developed strength even without trying too much in a short period of time, your diet has slowly gone from a combination of things, to strictly fresh fruits and vegetables. Your reflexes have slowly sped up as well, though still with the true power hidden deep inside." He commented. "You're nocturnal now, daylight will hurt you after today most likely, you'll eventually gain instincts as I stated before and have urges to simply jump off of high places in attempts to fly." He commented.

Artemis had slowly sat down on his hunches, eyes to the floor, not sure what to think about all of this. "There's another kind that you should be warned about. Most religions call them angels, but, I've seen what they're really like, they've been hunting for you, though why I wouldn't know, but, I've seen them, with torches bright as the purest light. Awe inspiring and yet the most gruesome I've ever seen, they have the meanest yet of the palest and smoothest skin I'd ever seen. They wield bloody swords that strike only at your kind. Because of how intertwined they are into human mythology though, I'd have to say that both of your kinds go back thousands of years, possibly before humans even existed. Your kinds have been at war for a long time now, a bitter war to which is over humans." He explained. "And whether or not we have the right to our existence."

Artemis's eyes widened at that. "Which side believes in what solution?" He questioned, actually afraid that it was his own.

"Believe it or not, the more angelic kind thinks we should be destroyed, either by our own devices or by them personally," Artemis Senor responded. "Your kind has been willing to help us to survive, that is all that I know about that matter really."

Artemis felt a wave of relief but calmed it to an unnoticeable emotion. Stealing his was fine with, killing wasn't in his blood really. He glanced at his Father carefully. "What about school and all?" He questioned.

"I've yanked you out of school, actually earlier this morning, before you were awake, I'm quite the actor you know, I did so claiming beyond a reasonable doubt that they weren't giving you proper credit, where surely it was due," Sr. commented. "And that you were going to be privately tutored instead, which of course you are, but not in the way you'd think. There's only one of your real family that I've found able to give me some idea as to what was going on and what would occur to you. He's not fully your kind of demon, but, he's half n' half. His Father killed for being a traitor, his Mother hailed as a protector of the true goal of your kind, reaching a peaceful world with both humans and the other other demons. He isn't readily accepted into either one, but he knows enough to help."

"So… He's?…" Artmis started, only to have the doors thrown open and a strange looking person come striding in.

This 'person' had blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, knee high boots that buckled, didn't strap along with a loose silk looking shirt underneath a beaten leather jacket Sunglasses which were tinted a light blue shaded his eyes from the other's view. Long, slender fingers were inside of again, leather gloves, both ears dawned with odd earrings and an odd belt hung loosely around his hips. "Here?" He questioned, smiling to reveal slightly more animal like canines.

It fell on the younger boy like a brick now, this, this person, who looked like a rebel rouser was his blood related half sibling! He looked at his Father helplessly. He honestly trusted this man?

"Had to travel all the way to Russia to find the poor lad and got myself in a bit of a sticky mess, now didn't I?" The older questioned.

Artemis was clearly left out of a lot of information that he knew he'd begin to hear about bit by bit now that he'd changed. But, he merely waited for it. "That's the real reason I went to Russia to begin with, Arty, and yes, that's when I was captured. But, it was for your benefit, you had to have someone like you to show you things I couldn't." He commented. "You cut it kind of close to high noon, didn't you?" He questioned.

"High noon? Feh, with my leather covering me up, I'd be perfectly safe from high noon, it's the darkest hour of the night that I have problems with." He stated, truthfully.

Artmis blinked. "You still have a ton to learn, Artemis, but don't worry, you're in the best survivor's hands that you ever could be." He commented, shrugging. "Wouldn't want a crown prince to go getting killed, now would we?"

"Oh…." Butler couldn't finish his sentence a feeling of complete awe having settled on him over this whole matter. 

Artemis stumbled back then, not sure if he'd heard that right. His father nodded. "He knows what he's tailking about here." Was his simple input.

Artemis looked at his Father with real respect now. Knowing that he was a crown prince of something, hell it could even be a land of shit for all he cared, his father still gave him a chance to live a little as every Fowl had before and now he realized how important that really was. Because crowned princes do not have a chance to screw up without anyone knowing that they did. He was now more grateful for being raised a Fowl.

End Chapter 


	3. Chapter 3

Artemis looked at the other demon carefully, blinking in surprise. "Well, if you're my half brother and a demon, you certainly don't look like it." The now demonized Fowl commented.

"Of course not, the way you're sitting here talking you'd think that we demons haven't figured out a way to out smart humans. We're very intelligent beings, some sub- species of demons actually have the full knowledge of their kind when they're born." His brother commented. "We have sharp minds and we know how to use them. Here, four dimensional holographic technology, courtesy of our older brother the king."

An odd palm sized device was set into his palms. "It tricks the human mind using different frequencies of sound and light so they see, smell and hear another human next to them, instead of the demons we are." The other explained, slowly stripping down to reveal what he really looked like, he turned off his own hologram, revealing the cream colored fur, white feathered wings and long tail, his feet looked more like a dogs hind feet and his tail was fluffier than Artemis's. The glasses came off to reveal red eyes underneath. "I'm Nicolas, you can just call me Nick or Nikki, whichever you prefer. As your adoptive Father so kindly informed you my job is to teach you about what you really are and precautions as well as other important tips you'll need to know."

Artemis sat there, trying to take all of what was being said in for later use if need be. "I'm able to withstand light and dark to a large degree however, I still need a nightlight at night and polarized sunglasses during the day to keep myself from becoming sick," Nick commented. "Now, your new aversion to light will be essential, light can greatly weaken and sicken you to the point of death in the most extreme of cases, it will cause you to become blind, deaf and disoriented. Moonlight and starlight not included and artificial light can be rendered harmless with a pair of these glasses."

"Okay… And I will learn to fly eventually right?" Artemis questioned.

"Yup, when I kick you off of a high enough spot you will, not to get so nervous over that right now, it's still a ways off." Nick replied.

"You really aren't going to kick me off are you?" Artemis questioned.

"Well, it's what Momma birds do to teach their babies isn't it?" He questioned.

Artemis nodded, though his nerves weren't calmed as much as he'd hoped for. "Anyway, your tail is the most important part of your body, it helps keep you balanced while standing and helps you maneuver during high speed flight. Your feet are natural springs as well as shock absorbers for when you're taking off and landing." The other paused, breathing in. "So, first thing's first, there are a variety of ways to disguise yourself from humans, your friend here will be a great example. We have just a drop of magic, not powerful magic but it's used for magic that no other beings can wield anymore. Like the gossamer. It's a magically created disguise just as good as your hologram and sometimes even better than it, depends on how strongly woven the spell is. Gossamer is like a second skin, the more tightly and finely woven it is the more human you feel and look and even sometimes yourself feel. It can only be removed when the wearer states a predetermined trigger word for it."

"And I create one how exactly?" Artemis inquired.

"Easy enough, if you concentrate really hard and focus where nothing else lies within your sight, then, small threads should appear, that's the natural magic that has been in the earth since before the fairies even came into being. If you pull the threads together with your mind and hands then you can weave it about yourself into a guise. You have to picture what you're doing of course. But, I was thinking for a start, minor ways that you can hide what you are without any magic or hologram at all."

He picked up his glasses and hats. "Hats and glasses for your ears and eyes, gloves for the hands, long sleeved coats, shirts and pants cover your fur up pretty well, wrap the tail around your body and for the feet, just crouch down low, it helps if you accidentally give off the trigger word for your guise or hologram malfunctions."

He showed Artemis briefly to keep his mouth shut and his ears tucked behind his hair during one such event. Artemis blinked at him. "I came in disguised as a human with a little of each on, gossamer to protect me from the sun, my tail was underneath my belt and I had on my hologram just in case."

He looked Artemis in the eyes carefully. "There's one more danger to your true form though… Unlike most mammal like creatures on the earth, both of our species has the ability for both female and male to bare a child."

Artemis blinked at him and Butler before his vision started to swim and he promptly passed out on the floor. "He'll recover soon enough." The cream colored demon reassured Butler.  
End Chapter 


	4. Chapter 4

When Artemis awoke, he found Butler, his father and his new found older brother all sitting there patiently. Artemis wanted them to say something, anything that would get rid of the uncomfortable silence that had fallen. "Yeah, I know how it is… When I first found out about that, I did the same exact thing, only from a couple feet in the air," Nicolas commented. "Don't worry, in demon society, it doesn't matter who you're with, man or the rare lady just as long as you truly love each other."

He carefully helped the young Fowl to standing back up into position. He swayed there for a couple seconds, trying to regain his composer. He blinked as Butler and Artemis Sr. tried their best to reassure him that things were going to be alright. But, Artemis's thoughts had wandered elsewhere. 'Children? I could carry a child? A demon child inside myself?' He wondered. Finally, his new found questions found themselves at the tip of his tongue. "So my Mother was… Was a male or female?" He wondered.

"Female, definitely that much I know." The other demon commented. "I know it's a scary prospect at first, the thought that you could birth a child from your body isn't something beings take well, but if you think of it, animals of the natural world do so all the time. The clownfish can switch genders, actually all kinds of fish and yet, they don't deter from doing so, it has it's advantages too. You can carry a child and that's nothing any human male's ever experienced before, they don't know what it's like knowing there's something inside of you…. Growing…. They also don't know what it's like to give it up."

"Have you?" Artemis wondered and stopped at seeing the other's expression change, it deepened..

"Once. The father died…. The same day I lost our child." The other commented, softly. "Well, back to work, we've got much more to do, we'll have to show you how to control instincts a little. It's very easy to do sometimes, other times however, it's best to listen closely to them."

Artemis nodded as they set about working again. By the end of the day, he could willing decipher certain instincts and willingly tune out the other ones that compelled him to attack at sudden surprises. Butler came in very handy for that practice, as he was the only one able to handle Artemis's onslaught when they took things beyond his ability of control. He also spent a good amount of time being taught how to strengthen his wings. Finally, everyone else had gone to bed, save him and his brother, who sat in the attic room rafters eating and talking. "I'm sorry about my earlier comment, it was….. Rude of me to ask something that personal." Artemis started, before the other hushed him.

"No, it's not, I'm your blood relative, you should know these things. Especially this one. Never beyond any circumstances become impregnated by a human, it'd never work out very well," The other stated. "We live about the same rates nowadays do to the war, but…. Loving one puts them at risk."

Artemis remained silent, he knew that the other was speaking from experience. "I found one who excepted me as I truly was… I loved him with my whole heart and soul and then…. One day, a demon from the other side came before I'd woken…. He captured the other. I was about three months along, the period of pregnancy for us is a little shorter then humans, about five months. He killed then consumed him while I watched, unable to do a thing as I had woken after he was already dying. There was no where to run to, or protect myself. The other demon tore it right out of me…. My child…. His child…. Ours…. He called it an infestation and then tossed it to the floor." He took a breath. "Needless to say, I was left expected to die, but I wouldn't let it happen, not after what they'd done. Physical wounds are shallow compared to what had occurred to me emotionally. I managed to make it to our other brother, the king of your type of demon. Needless to say he secretly had me nursed back to health. I tried to refuse, telling him how it would hurt his relationship with the kingdom."

"What did he say to that?" Artemis questioned.

"He told me that the kingdom was a sand grain compared to how important his family was." The other stated, truthfully.

"Then, he's a good man to have as king, I'd suspect." Artemis commented.

"You'd like him, I think. You remind me somewhat of him when he was younger…" The other commented.

"How are you able to withstand the darkness of night, when you can't stand the light of day?" Artemis questioned.

"Ah… That is the wonder of the night, you do realize, in fact that the moonlight is the reflection of the sun's light upon the moon's surface that's sent to Earth?" The other questioned.

"Yes, it's so simple, no wonder I didn't see it even though it's right in front of me, you have the moonlight at night to even things out for you." The other commented.

"And stars, remember I don't just feed off of sunlight, just light and human inventions have come in handy for cloudy, moonless and starless nights." The other stated.

"I see…." The other stated.

"While you strengthen in the darkness, you will weaken in the light, which if for an extended period can kill you, remember that above all…. Just like heat without water can kill any mortal being." His brother warned him. "But, hopefully, that won't be something you'll have to worry about anytime soon."

"And what if I fall in love with someone of the same sex?" The other questioned.

"It makes no difference, as I've stated before, you'll still love one another and that's what counts, it's one of the benefits to being demon opposes being human. Humans care about that do to their beliefs, however, they do not look at how all the other creatures of the world have loved before them. There's no need to fear love, embrace it openly when it comes to you." The other stated, simply. "Who knows when it'll disappear beyond your reach?"

Artemis nodded, he understood now where the other was coming from, or so it seemed. He blinked as the other commented lightly on what their lessons would be for the next night, while the humans of the household slept and how the last lesson would probably be that of flight.

The next few weeks went by quickly, with Artemis learning many things, until the last day of their lessons together, as Butler and his foster parents watched from below and his brother urged him to jump, he'd done so a few times already unsuccessfully, luckily unharmed. Until now, when he jumped and found himself actually flying. The only problem came when his brother spotted something far off. It shone in an unearthly glow that reminded Artemis of some of the pictures of the People, but when his brother yelled at him to fly quickly away from it, he realized what it really was coming towards them from the distance… As it shot at Artemis like a hawk chasing prey. Artemis dove in an attempt to escape it, before he shot straight. This was to be his first flight and possibly his last from the way things had taken a turn for the worse. He could hear his family going hysterical, his brother flew at the enemy demon, attempting to give him time, but was soon plummeting towards the ground below, Artemis didn't have time to see if the other was alive or not. He could feel tears start to trickle from his eyes as he shot straight up, before he was slammed into from the side and captured. He remembered screaming, clawing and biting into the other in an attempt to free himself he almost did once, but was only recaptured before he'd barely gotten a few inches away. Then, exhausted and battered, he just wept, as the cries of his family grew faint and finally there was nothing left in sight or sound of his home.

End Chapter 


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